Thossian Empire
The Thossian Empire was a nation that existed in southern Thossos from 2593 PC to 0 AC. It stretched from the Lorothosian Sea in the east to the Empty Ocean in the west, with its northern reaches being the Copper Thorn Mountains. The Empire was established in 2593 PC with the capitulation of the Amyrites in the Steel War. The Kingdom of Thossia had been a powerful regional player since the Kelorian Disappearance and rose to world power after the capture of Kye and ensuing victory in the Steel War. The Thossians ruled Nathossos for two and half thousand years, until the Empire collapsed in 0 AC after a period of declining influence and war. History After the Kelorian Disappearance in 3550 PC, a massive power vacuum arose in Thossos. During the Kelorian period in the west, small regional kingdoms had existed for thousands of years, while in the east, there only small agrarian states in Lorothos. With the collapse of Keloria, an enormous area across the Rynissan Plains was opened up for expansion by the western powers. Almost immediately, western kingdoms began expansion and infighting. The major western powers in 3500 PC were the Amyrites, the Thossians, the Drenn, the Kyst, and the Kelmerians. The Amyrites, tribesman from the Amyr desert, expanded east, incorporating Kelorian cities such as Tak into their realm. The Kyst and the Kelmerians, seafarers originally from the west Thossian coast and the Etrynian river, claimed lands all along the Kelorian Gulf. The Thossians and the Drenn, close neighbors south of the Amyr desert, moved east as well. The Drenn laid claim to Kye, while the Thossians were left with the interior. Massive territorial shifts took place, many groups were left with lands almost completely removed from their origins or wiped out completely, giving the period its name, The Chaos. Thossian-Drenn Wars In the following centuries the political situation stabilized, but many small wars flared up between both old and new states. The Drenn especially were prosperous, becoming powerful sea traders from their new capital of Kye. Many times the Thossians attempted to wrest control of the city from the Drenn, but they were repeatedly rebuffed. The Amyrites, meanwhile, had monopolized trade in the continental interior. By 3200, the Amyrite Kingdom was the largest and most powerful state in Thossos. In 3160 PC, the first all out Thossian-Drenn war occured. The Thossians were defeated, but gained a little territory northwest of Kye. Despite these small gains, the Thossians were undeterred. The second Thossian-Drenn war started in 3143, and again ended in Thossian defeat. Thossian territory was shrunk significantly, by the Drenn seizing much of their southwest territory as a punitive measure. It wasn't until 3032, over a hundred years later, that the Thossians would regain territory in the midst of political crises in Drenn. As the Drennish dynasties struggled to hold political control, the Thossians were able to defeat the factions of Drenn in what has been called the third Thossian-Drenn war. To consolidate their gains, Thossia moved their capital from Karymm to Kye, taking former Drennish royalty as vassals. War With The Amyrites Meanwhile, the Amyrites had come into conflict with the Kelmerians over control of the source of the Etrynian river. Under the might of the Amyrites, Kelmeria was devastated, and never recovered their former power. This left Thossos, Amyria, and Kystos as the remaining kingdoms in western Thossos at the turn of the third millennium PC. By 2800 PC, Thossian control of the southern coastline was relatively unchallenged. This led to a decline for the Amyrites, who had previously traded extensively with their Drennish allies. Now landlocked, Amyria's trade capacity was diminished and the kingdom was beginning to experience serious decline. These problems intensified after Coneria and Ulstos began to establish themselves as trading powers. Rapidly losing wealth, the Amyrites attacked Thossos in 2722, attempting to annex coastline in western Iniar. The attack was successful; Thossian trade would take a century to recover. Founding of the Empire In the meantime, the Thossian's position in Kye, the former Kelorian capital, allowed them to follow the Kelorians' footsteps . During this time the Thossians developed an almost religious reverence for the Kelorians, eventually resulting in state endorsed secular worship. Despite extremely sparse accounts and writings, by 2650 the Thossians had rediscovered Kelorian steel. Keloria's xenophobia prevented their metallurgy from becoming widespread, and their techniques were lost completely during the Disappearance. This discovery intensified Thossian reverence, who treated the legendary steel as a religious creation. Its production became entwined in the increasingly complicated secular religion, preventing its spread outside of Thossia. Realizing the power and wealth Thossos could possess, King Obaro II declared Thossia the legitimate successor to Keloria. It was now Thossia's religious duty to retake Kelorian lands from Amyrites and establish a true successor state. In 2595, Thossia began its monumental campaign by retaking lands lost during the Iniar Invasion in 2722. Like the Kelorian Conquest five thousand years before, the Thossian war machine was brutal and efficient. Wielding steel weapons, the Thossians crushed the Amyrites in the so-called Steel War, and absorbed their territory. In 2593, King Obaro II declared Thossos a true empire. He was crowned the first emperor, and ruled until his death in 2577. Expansion His son, Thrayssian IV, succeeded him on the throne in Kye. Eager to live up to his father’s fame, Thrayssian IV embarked on a large campaign abroad to bring other territories into his Empire. Iniar Campaign He marched his army south along the coast in 2560, and handily won victory after victory. Thrayssian's luck changed, however, when he mounted a full invasion of the Second Iniari Empire. The region had resisted Kelorian invasion four thousand years earlier, and proved a huge obstacle to Thossian expansion. He led his armies far to the north, intending to totally cut the peninsula off from the interior. Thrayssian's campaign began west of Osniwa province in 2554. He led attacks down the Ionori River, slowly but steadily wearing down the Iniari armies. He took the coasts in 2552, leaving only land around the river still in the hands of Iniar. Iswivos, the Iniari capital, proved to be too well defended: Thrayssian failed to conquer it along with the rest of the region. The Iswivos Dinwar continued to exist in isolation for two hundred more years before it too was annexed by the Thossian Empire. Thrayssian was disgraced by his failure at Iswivos; he was forced to continue east to save political face. He attempted to mount an invasion of Catriya, but was prematurely halted at the Thressen River by low supplies. Despite his phenomenal territorial gains, Thrayssian was never seen as a great conqueror. In all, he was able to more than double the size of the Empire. After Thrayssian, the Empire enjoyed a period of substantial peace and prosperity. His successors instead followed the cues of Thrayssian II, Thrayssian IV's great grandfather, and focused on nation building. During this time, the continent’s first true road system was built, expanding on roads the Kelorians had left in their own realm. Conquest of Catriya Catryia continued to be a thorn in the pride of the Thossians. This finally reached a head around 2400, when Catriya, which itself had evolved into a powerful bloc under the rule of the Kottri people, attacked Thossian border settlements in an attempt to regain control of the Thressen River. At the time, the Empire was in firm control of the River and its western tributaries. The attack sent uproar throughout the Empire, and the reaction was swift. Emperor Jesserian ordered a full offensive, which quickly overcame Kottri border defenses. Imperial forces pushed forward in a fury, burning and pillaging in one of the most brutal invasions in history. The Imperial army laid siege to Kas Kelor, the Catriyan capital, for almost two years. The city fell in 2396, and Kas Kelor was burned to the ground, taking with it the greatest stronghold of Kottri power. Thossos assumed control of the entire region, and rebuilt and renamed Kas Kelor as Kas Kye, their new eastern capital. The Thossian Empire was now the sole great power on the continent, and would remain so until the Empire’s dissolution. Trading Power Over the following thousand years, the Empire slowly grew. Notable gains include Lake Kelor, much of southern Lorothos, and the Kelmerian Coast. With these gains, Thossos began to shift its economy to trade. In The Kelmerian Coast grew wealthy trading with Coneria, as did the south by trading with Ulstos. Huge caravan networks spanned the continent. It was during this phase of Thossos' history that the most peace was achieved. Despite the occasional rebellion or raid from Nasar or the mountains, the Empire was very peaceful. Conflict with Ulstos Around 1000 PC, Usltos came into its own as a regional power. They were a powerful trading and seafaring people, and ruled an archipelago confederation west of the Kelorian Gulf. Their primary trade was with Sarthos, but they also acted as middleman between Sarthos and Thossos, growing rich in the process. Thossos grew angry at Ulstos' monopoly on ocean trade, and began to trade with Sarthos directly. However, their sailing prowess was inferior, and Thossian ships were often targets of Ulstosian pirates. Ulstos began to supplant Imperial trade, and even spread shipbuilding knowledge to Coneria in an attempt to undermine Thossian influence. Decline and Fall In the centuries leading up to the fall, an undeclared war existed between Ulstos and Thossos. Both openly attacked the others' ships and sometimes raided coastal villages. This erupted in all out war by 50 PC. The Empire's coast was too large to guard easily, and Ulstos won victories frequently, further ruining the Empire's ability to trade. In 3 PC, Ulstos finally launched an attack on Kye itself, which by this time had become a fortress city of monumental proportions. The Great Gates, walls rising out of the sea to enclose the city's bay, complimented the natural cliffs and made attack almost impossible. The Ulstosian navy failed to breach the wall, and settled in for a siege. Kye had grown absolutely dependent on sea trade, so the blockade was devastating. The siege lasted for 500 days. It finally ended when Ulstosians managed to burn the harbor by throwing fire over the Great Gates with enormous trebuchets. Soon after the city fell to Ulstos. After the sack of Kye and the execution of the royal family, the immediate coastal region was divided into military districts, forming the basis of many modern nations. This is counted as the official end of the Thossian Empire, though resistance continued for decades inland. Culture The culture of the Empire was influenced greatly by the early Thossia people. From them we see the basis of customs and clothing, though both would go through huge changes during the Empire's reign. Even more so, typical practices varied wildly across the continent-spanning territory, though many far flung regions adopted some of their conquerors' western habits. Thossian culture was highly influenced by the Kelorians before them. Indeed, Thossian state religion was a form of secular veneration, centered around the Kelorians themselves, and to a lesser extent their kings and gods. This was a radical departure from the previous beliefs of the Thossia, which were similar to folk religions still seen in the west. Their folk practices took on new roles in Kelorian worship, and today the belief has a small but fervent tradition. Language Thossian language is a descendent of one of the several ancient Amyr dialects, with many words incorporated from foreign languages during the Empire's long rule. The Thossian language is the modern lingua franca of the world, and itself is the basis of many dialects throughout Nathossos. Category:Nations